Cooperation
by betawho
Summary: They always did work well together, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. (Great cold weather story.)


"We can't all fit!" Rory protested.

"Yes we can, just sling your leg around here," Amy responded.

The Doctor grabbed Rory's legs and pulled them around his waist. "See? No problem. This will be fun!"

"I still think this is a bad idea!" Rory said.

"Just hang on," Amy said, sandwiched between them.

The Doctor started rocking. "Ready?"

'"No!" yelled Rory.

"Here we go!" The Doctor shoved off and the sled plummeted down the hillside. Rory screamed, Amy shrieked in joy, the Doctor grinned and held on, steering.

He leaned left, Amy and Rory leaned with him, all locked together like Legos. They whizzed past a snow covered boulder.

"We're gonna die!" Rory moaned as the Doctor leaned them right, swinging them in a wide arching "swish" past a copse of pine trees. Throwing up a wide wave of snow.

Amy yelled, and threw her mittened hands in the air like she was on a roller-coaster.

Rory gripped her waist tightly, her hair slapping and stinging in his eyes, privately happy he couldn't see, not with the Doctor driving.

They built up speed. Trees whipped past with little zipping sounds. The snow shushed and sliced under them, bouncing them like they were on rocks.

Occasionally they flew, leaving Rory's stomach panting in the snow somewhere behind them.

The cold air seared his lungs, his legs started to ache where they were wrapped around Amy and the Doctor. He felt the Doctor grab his ankles with his cold hands and yelped in surprise.

"We're almost at the bottom!" the Doctor yelled over the wind. "We need to slow down!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Amy said, hearing the distress in his voice. She leaned to the side to see past him.

Rory stretched up, trying to see over Amy's head. She and the Doctor started backpedaling with their hands, trying to slow their descent.

At the bottom of the incline, a school bus trundled slowly past the resort headquarters. They were heading straight for it.

"TURN!" Rory bellowed at the Doctor.

"I can't! We're in a rut!" the Doctor yelled back. Rory felt him throwing himself to the side, trying to jump them out of the rut. His hands still tight on Rory's ankles, to take them with him.

Rory stared in horror at the children's faces, plastered to the windows of the bus. He grabbed Amy's shoulders and tried to help the Doctor jump the sled sideways.

Amy dug her mittens into the snow, trying to stop them, but they were going so fast the force whipped her arms back, jerking her backward. Her head slammed into Rory's nose.

His eyes popped wide then wheeled. His whole face felt on fire, his nose stung like it had been flattened. Everything started happening in slow motion. As he fell backwards, all he could think was this was the _second _time Amy had broken his nose.

He hit the snow with his arms spread like he was making snow angels.

But he didn't fall off the sled. The Doctor still had his ankles. He was dragged along behind.

Snow piled up over his arms and torso, burying his head. Snow filled his nose and only the occasional big bump bounced him up above the snow so he could breathe.

He was so dazed that it was all a white blur.

He could hear screaming, then cheering.

The snow gradually stopped moving. The weight between his legs stumbled away and he felt hands pawing him out of the snow. Amy's strong hand yanked him up.

He emerged like the abominable snowman, blinking snow encrusted lashes, his hair a mat of compressed snow, like a helmet.

Amy was dancing in her little skirt and tights, clapping her hands. Beaming approval at him. "You did it Rory! You're a hero!"

He looked around dazedly, they had stopped right below the school bus, less than three yards away. The screaming sound was the cheers of the kids.

The Doctor clapped him on the back, snow fell off in clumps.

"Great thinking, Rory." The Doctor smiled, pounding him on the back. Rory stared up, uncomprehendingly, blood starting to trickle out of one nostril.

"You make a great snow anchor."

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